“She’s always been there to help us”

By |

Early on a cool, hazy Friday morning, people cross the street from McDonough Homes to stand in line at the garage located behind the large white house at Wheelock Parkway and Jackson Street in Saint Paul. Most are silent, keeping to themselves, though some engage in spirited conversations. After a while, the back door opens and Sister Kathleen Spencer steps outside, greeting everyone as she walks to the garage. When she opens the door, people slowly move into the garage where an assortment of bakery goods and other food awaits. Each person who enters receives a warm hug and a smile from Sister Kathleen. Continue Reading

Working for a miracle

By |

Losses of jobs and older housing stock have exacted a toll on the Payne Phalen neighborhood on the East Side of St. Paul. Recently vacant storefronts bear signs announcing a store opening, advertising space for rent, or announcing a building for sale. Adjacent to Payne Avenue, once-elegant homes are in deteriorating condition. As in other urban neighborhoods, “Vacant” signs mark the homes that are in foreclosure or condemned for unsafe conditions. Continue Reading

Nursing home closings create crisis for residents and workers

By |

My father-in-law, Tyson, is 93 years old. He is almost totally blind, and he is hard of hearing. He spends most of his time in his wheelchair, and some days he sleeps much of the day. Although he has dementia, he can sing every word of “Let me call you sweetheart.” For the past two years, he has lived at Good Shepherd Care Center in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood of Saint Paul. In spite of everything, Tyson has been very happy at Good Shepherd. Continue Reading

Sunshine Week: Minnesota Department of Education Web site

By |

March 16-22 is Sunshine Week, a week devoted to freedom of information and open government. As part of Sunshine Week, the TC Daily Planet will feature articles introducing ways that every citizen can access government information.The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Web site contains a wealth of information about education in Minnesota and nationwide, as well as information about every school district and every public school in the state. Here’s an introduction to www.education.state.mn.us. Academic Excellence on the right hand side of the page has information about academic standards, gifted and talented programs, and school choice. This section also links to the much-publicized School Report Cards, which are issued every fall. Continue Reading

Low Income Fellows Program—A strategy to end poverty

By |

In the 44 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the War on Poverty, efforts to eliminate the vicious cycle of poverty have revolved around delivering services and commodities to the poor. Now a new way of thinking is emerging, one that focuses on creating community action against poverty by building coalitions that are needed to bring about change, to empower the poor, and to teach them to advocate for themselves so their voices are heard. The Community Action Partnership (CAP) of Ramsey and Washington Counties developed the Low-Income Fellows Program in 2004 as a key part of its Blueprint to End Poverty. The Community Blueprint was designed to ensure the participation of low-income individuals and to increase low-income leadership around poverty issues. CAP HistoryIn 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared a War on Poverty. Continue Reading

St. Paul’s District 6—From polkas to persimmons

By |

It’s Sunday afternoon on Rice Street, and the old-timers flock into Tin Cup’s Lounge and Restaurant at Rice and Maryland. One woman in the crowd describes the crowd as “everybody’s grandma and grandpa.” They come to hear the lively polka music of Roger Van Horn’s one-man polka band. They’re here to eat, to visit, to dance the polka, and to sing along. In the same little shopping mall two doors away, at the Double Dragon Supermarket, Hmong families load up their vans with bags of rice, crates of persimmon, and fresh tilapia. This is Rice Street today. Continue Reading

It’s all about building community—Thomas Dale District 7 Planning Council

By |

St. Paul’s Frogtown developed as the city grew beyond downtown in the early 1880s. The St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (now the Burlington Northern) was built along the northern boundary of what is now Frogtown. For more than 100 years, the railroad and its related industries provided employment to residents of both Frogtown and the North End neighborhoods. Continue Reading

The Winnipeg Project : a new beginning for Rice Street

By |

The sun shone brightly in a cold, blue November sky, and smiles were the order of the day, as community members, developers, architects, and elected officials broke ground for the Winnipeg development at Rice Street and Winnipeg Avenue in Saint Paul. The $12.7 million mixed use project will have commercial shops at street level in each of its two buildings, and 56 units of rental housing for families with varying income levels. Sparc, the local non-profit community development corporation, and Legacy Management and Development Company are co-developers. Legacy will manage the project. The Winnipeg development signals hope of a new beginning for the Rice Street/North End community, which has endured some very hard times in recent years. Continue Reading